Department of Health and Social Care

Magnetic Resonance Imagers

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 2.20 of Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, if she will publish the modelling used to estimate the number of patients that will be impacted by the proposed upgrading of 100 MRI scanners.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Databases

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many trusts have agreed to join the federated data platform as of 7 March 2024.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Magnetic Resonance Imagers

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement at page 34 of the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, on upgrading more than 100 MRI scanners with AI, what the average time taken for patients to receive relevant test results is; and if she will make an estimate of the average time for such results to be received when the new scanners are in use.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Osteoporosis: Screening

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of community diagnostic centres carried out DEXA scanning in 2023; and how many DEXA scans were conducted in community diagnostic centres (a) in total and (b) in each centre.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stepping Hill Hospital: Repairs and Maintenance

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will allocate capital funds to carry out urgent estates repairs at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dentistry: Migrant Workers

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for the Overseas Registration Exam.

Andrea Leadsom: The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentists and dental care professionals practising in the United Kingdom, and enforces the standards to which they must adhere. This includes operating the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) through which overseas-qualified dentists, whose qualifications are not recognised for the purpose of achieving full GDC registration, can demonstrate that they have sufficient skill and knowledge to join the register. The Department does not hold data on the average waiting time for overseas qualified dentists waiting to take the ORE, as this data is held by the GDC.

Dentistry: Migrant Workers

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to establishing mutual recognition schemes for dental qualifications with other countries; and if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of mutual recognition schemes on the average time taken to recruit dentists from overseas.

Andrea Leadsom: The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry and dental care professionals practising in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry in the UK. Currently, to be entered into the dentists register, an individual must satisfy the GDC’s requirements and either: have received their qualifications from a recognised UK dental school; hold recognised qualifications in dentistry from the European Economic Area or Switzerland; hold recognised qualifications in dentistry obtained before 1 January 2001 from certain overseas universities; or pass either the Overseas Registration Exam run by the GDC, or the License in Dental Surgery run by the Royal College of Surgeons. In March 2023, we introduced legislation that gives the GDC greater flexibility in expanding the registration routes for international applicants, and improving its international registration processes. This includes enabling the GDC to broaden the ways in which it can assess additional overseas qualifications to determine if they are sufficient for registration as a dentist. On 16 February 2024, we launched a consultation on introducing further legislation that would give the GDC powers to provisionally register overseas-qualified dentists who have not yet met the GDC’s requirements for full registration. Under these proposals, holders of provisional registration would be able to practise dentistry in the UK for a limited time under the supervision of a fully registered dentist, whilst they are seeking to meet the GDC’s requirements for full registration.

Cancer: Health Services

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has held discussions with NHS England on the need for a dedicated and specific cancer plan.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department works closely with NHS England on a wide range of issues relating to cancer, and to deliver the key priorities on cancer as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. Current priorities include work on improving cancer survival rates through earlier diagnosis, and reducing cancer treatment waiting times across England, including the time between an urgent general practice referral and the commencement of treatment. The Government is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care, and plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity.On 14 August 2023, the Government published a strategic framework for the Major Conditions Strategy to consider the six conditions, including cancer, that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England. This is because we recognise that most cancer patients will have at least one other condition, so we are developing a Major Conditions Strategy that will include cancer. The Major Conditions Strategy will apply a geographical lens to each condition, to address regional disparities in health outcomes, supporting the levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030.

Diabetes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent cases of type 2 diabetes.

Andrew Stephenson: The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme identifies people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and refers them to a nine-month lifestyle change programme, which has been proven to reduce a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37%.The NHS Health Check is England’s flagship cardiovascular disease prevention programme, which is offered to eligible people aged 40 to 74 years old, and includes an assessment for type 2 diabetes. If an individual is found to be at risk of type 2 diabetes, they are referred on to their general practice for further clinical assessment, treatment if appropriate, or further referred to programmes such as the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, to help reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Junior Doctors: Recruitment

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the net increase in junior doctors through recruitment to the NHS is in the last 12 months.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) Workforce statistics and General Practice Workforce statistics publications for England. These show that as of December 2023, the latest data available, there are 80,123 full time equivalent junior doctors working across HCHS and general practice settings in England. This is 4,505, or 6.0%, more than in December 2022.It is not possible to report how much of this net increase is new recruitment, as the figures will also include movements of staff coming in and out of active service for reasons such as career breaks or maternity leave, and the impact of movements in staff working part time.Junior doctors have been defined as those working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations, who are recorded in the grades Foundation Year One, Foundation Year Two, Core Training and Specialty Registrar, and also those working in training grades in general practice.

Healthcare Assistants: Pay

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the progress made by NHS trusts in moving health care assistants from band two to band three for the pay bands that were introduced in July 2021.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the financial impact of the higher pay bands for health care assistants introduced in July 2021 on NHS trusts.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to NHS trusts to meet the increased pay costs for health care assistants arising from the introduction of higher pay bands in July 2021.

Andrew Stephenson: No new pay bands were introduced in July 2021. The NHS Staff Council, which has representatives from both employers and trade unions, agreed minor wording amendments to the profiles for band 2 and band 3 Healthcare Support Worker roles in August 2021. The profile levels and scores were not changed.However, the clarifying amendments to the profiles led to some rebanding requests. This is a local matter and it is the responsibility of every employing organisation to ensure their staff are correctly evaluated and paid in accordance. For that reason, no assessment has been or will be made.

Vaccination

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of investment in establishing a vaccine library.

Maria Caulfield: Development of a vaccine library, including the adequacy of investment, will be a collaborative, global effort. The Government provides funding to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) through the Department of Health and Social Care and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The CEPI plays a key role in funding and coordinating the global research and development effort to develop a vaccine library.The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre (VDEC) makes a significant contribution to the development of a vaccine library through work in developing and evaluating new vaccines and vaccine technologies, some of which is funded by the CEPI.The UKHSA is also reviewing the recommendations from the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS) report, in the context of the United Kingdom, and working across Government to strengthen our 100 Days Mission endeavours even further.More broadly, an established clinical countermeasures programme, including vaccines, is a core component of our pandemic preparedness and response capability. The programme is informed by scientific and clinical assessment of the evidence base, and is kept under review, building on lessons learned from previous outbreaks including COVID-19.

Disease Control: Drugs and Vaccination

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate manufacturing capabilities for new (a) vaccines and (b) drugs in a pandemic.

Maria Caulfield: An established clinical countermeasures programme is a core component of our pandemic preparedness and response capability, including vaccines and therapeutics. The UK Biological Security Strategy, published in June 2023, reaffirms our ambition to scale up discovery, development, and manufacturing of therapeutics and vaccines within 100 days.In the Autumn Statement 2023, the Chancellor announced £520 million for Life Sciences manufacturing to build resilience for future health emergencies and capitalise on the United Kingdom’s world-leading research and development. This follows previous investment through the Biomanufacturing Fund, to incentivise the manufacture of vaccines and therapeutics, to improve the UK’s health resilience to future pandemics.In September 2023, the UK Health Security Agency agreed a deal for millions of life-saving vaccines to be produced, with end-to-end manufacturing in the UK, if a future influenza pandemic is ever declared. The advance purchase agreement means healthcare company CSL Seqirus will be on standby to produce over 100 million pandemic influenza vaccines from their manufacturing plant in Liverpool.In December 2022, the Government and Moderna entered a strategic partnership to set up mRNA research, development, and manufacturing facilities in the UK. Under the partnership, Moderna will build a new Innovation and Technology Centre in the UK, with the capacity to produce up to 250 million vaccines per year, in the event of a pandemic.

Sodium Valproate and Surgical Mesh Implants

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her Department's planned timescale is for responding to the Patient Safety Commissioner's report entitled The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024.

Maria Caulfield: The Government commissioned the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC) to produce a report on redress for those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. We are grateful to the PSC and her team for completing this report, and our sympathies remain with those affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government is now carefully considering the PSC’s recommendations, and will respond substantively in due course.

Euthanasia and Suicide

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will issue guidance to her Department on using the term (a) assisted suicide when referring to procedures that involve ingesting poison prescribed by a doctor with the intent to die and (b) euthanasia when referring to the delivery of a lethal injection by a doctor.

Maria Caulfield: There are currently no plans to issue guidance on using the terms assisted suicide, when referring to procedures that involve ingesting poison prescribed by a doctor with the intent to die, and euthanasia, when referring to the delivery of a lethal injection by a doctor.

NHS: Counter-terrorism

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times did the NHS referred a member of the Armed Forces to Prevent in each year since 2018.

Maria Caulfield: As statutory partners to the Prevent duty, healthcare professionals have a responsibility to refer patients and colleagues when there is a concern that the individual may be becoming radicalised. The Department does not hold data regarding individual referrals, as this data is collated and acted on by Counter Terrorism Policing.

Wandsworth Prison: Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the cost of the provision of healthcare at HMP Wandsworth in the last 12 months.

Maria Caulfield: The total cost of the contract that NHS England has commissioned for healthcare services at HMP Wandsworth, provided by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, is £14,008,787.

Family Conciliation Services

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to prevent unregulated psychologists from giving reunification therapy to parents and children.

Maria Caulfield: The Ministry of Justice and the HM Courts and Tribunals Service set any criteria that a professional must satisfy, in order to be a psychological expert, providing evidence in a family court setting. The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is the independent regulator responsible for regulating practitioner psychologists. The HCPC does not regulate practitioner psychologists according to job role, although its legislation protects nine designated psychologist professional titles in law.

Members: Correspondence

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the letter of 22 January 2024 from the hon. Member for Stockport on behalf of a constituent, reference NM0059.

Maria Caulfield: We have received the hon. Member’s correspondence of 22 January 2024, and responded on 14 March 2024.

Department of Health and Social Care: Defamation

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions have Ministers in her Department informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department is unable to confirm this information as any advice provided by the Law Officers and the content thereof cannot be disclosed without their authority.

Social Services: Pay

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of mirroring social care sector pay with the NHS Agenda for Change pay scales.

Helen Whately: Most care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their pay and terms and conditions, independent of the Government.

Ophthalmic Services: Learning Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce inequalities in eye care for adults with learning disabilities.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the eligibility criteria for NHS sight tests does not include people with learning disabilities within the classification of groups at high risk of eye disease.

Andrea Leadsom: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning National Health Service sight testing services to meet the local need, which could include commissioning adapted sight testing services to meet the needs of adults with learning disabilities. People over the age of 14 years old with a learning disability are entitled to a general practice led annual health check, to maintain their health. This can help identify undetected health conditions early, including problems with vision.All children under the age of 16 years old, and those under the age of 19 years old in full time education, as well as adults aged 60 years old or over, are entitled to an NHS sight test. Those on a low income, and defined categories of people at particular risk of developing eye disease are also entitled to free tests. Sight tests will also be made available to all children attending special day and residential schools during 2024/25.For adults, although having a learning disability does not provide exemption grounds, we would expect those with severe learning disabilities would meet the eligibility criteria in other ways. We therefore do not believe there is a need to extend eligibility further.

Primary Health Care: Vacancies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate she has made of the number of primary care vacancies for each of the last 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom: There is no centrally held data on the number of general practice or dentist vacancies. NHS England conducts an annual community pharmacy workforce survey, that collects data on vacancy rates across community pharmacies in England. Data for the last 12 months is not currently available, but data for 2023 is being analysed, and will be published later this year on NHS England’s Health Education England website, which is available at the following link:https://www.hee.nhs.uk/

Dental Services: South Leicestershire

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) dental practices in South Leicestershire constituency and (b) the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board on (i) dental contract (A) reform and (B) value, (ii) units of dental activity rates and (iii) taking steps to increase access to dentistry.

Andrea Leadsom: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning National Health Service dental services. Our plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry will make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer for patients, and will fund approximately 2.5 million additional appointments. The plan sets out a number of actions which will improve access for patients, by helping the sector to recover activity more quickly, address underlying issues, and set out the action needed for longer term reform of the system. This includes a new patient premium to support dentists in taking on new NHS patients, an uplift to the minimum Units of Dental Activity (UDA) rate, new dental vans to bring dental care to our most isolated communities, and the Golden Hello incentives to encourage dentists into under-served areas. We are also developing further recommendations for dental contract reform, and will consult with the sector before an announcement on this, later this year. Data on the number and value of NHS contracts in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB, and the number of UDAs commissioned and delivered, is available on the NHS Business Services Authority’s Open Data Portal, at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/access-our-data-products/open-data-portal-odp

Obesity: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help tackle childhood obesity.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure health intervention programmes have a focus on reducing adult obesity.

Andrea Leadsom: We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier environment, to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Regulations on out of home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, sugar, or salt in key selling locations came into force on 1 October 2022. We will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price, for instance three for two offers, and will introduce restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9:00pm on television. We will also be implementing restrictions on paid for online advertising for less healthy products, from 1 October 2025. We are working with the food industry to ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices, and make further progress on reformulation. In addition, the Food Data Transparency Partnership will help enable and encourage food companies to voluntarily demonstrate progress on the healthiness of their sales. We are also supporting more than three million children through the Healthy Foods Schemes, and helping schools boost physical activity to help children maintain a healthy weight and good overall health through the Primary School PE and Sport Premium and the School Games Organiser Network. In addition, local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services and the NHS Health Check Programme, to support their communities in achieving and maintaining a healthier weight.

Dental Services: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on NHS dental provision.

Andrea Leadsom: On 13 December 2023, I met with the Ministers and officials from across the four nations to discuss dentistry provision. There was an agreement to continue to work on a United Kingdom-wide basis for international recruitment initiatives. The Permanent Secretary of Northern Ireland's Department of Health, alongside Government officials, was present for the meeting. The Government's Chief Dental Officer for England also meets regularly with his counterparts in the devolved administrations.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of NHS funding to tackle the backlog of (a) elective surgeries and (b) other non-emergency procedures.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is committed to making the best possible progress against the ambitions set out in the Elective Recovery Plan (ERP), despite a range of constraints that have impacted on delivery. These constraints have included, but were not limited to, higher than expected COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related bed occupancy, and periods of disruptive industrial action.The Government regularly reviews progress against the ambitions in the ERP, including affordability, and the impact of the constraints listed above. The Government is planning to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, to help drive up and protect elective activity.This is supported by NHS England’s planning guidance, which in 2023/24 set an initial elective recovery target of 107%, delivered through a payment-by-result mechanism. To reflect the impact of industrial action, the Government and NHS England agreed to revise the elective activity target to 103% for the remainder of 2023/24, and in November 2023 provided an additional £800 million of funding from a combination of reprioritised and new funding, to mitigate the costs of industrial action. Planning guidance for 2024/25 will set out the ambitions for 2024/25, and will be published shortly.

Radiotherapy: Health Professions

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to recruit an additional 2,000 radiotherapy professionals by 2040.

Andrew Stephenson: In June 2023, NHS England published the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver a workforce that meets the changing needs of the population, over the next 15 years. The plan recognises the need to increase numbers of allied health professionals (AHPs), including therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers. To address this, we will increase AHP training places from a little over 15,000 in 2021/22 to 17,000 by 2028/89, and then 18,800 by 2031/32, a total increase of approximately 25%. National funding is available to train 150 enhanced practice radiographers a year, to support the diagnosis of cancer and other conditions.We have already seen increases in the radiotherapy workforce in NHS trusts and other care organisations in England. In November 2023, there were 894 full-time equivalent (FTE) consultants working in the specialty of clinical oncology, an increase of 40, or 4.6%, since November 2022 and 395, or 79.0%, since November 2010. There are also 3,141 FTE therapeutic radiographers, an increase of 133, or 4.4%, since November 2022 and 1,046, or 50.0%, since November 2010. We are also focused on improving cancer treatment, and are supporting advances in radiotherapy, such as using cutting-edge imaging and technology to help target radiation doses at cancer cells more precisely.

Dental Services: Finance

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the level of underspend was for dentistry in each integrated care board in each year since 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: We currently invest more than £3 billion in National Health Service dental services each year. We are committed to protecting this funding for dentistry purposes, and will ringfence this funding in 2024 to 2025. We will issue guidance to the integrated care boards (ICBs) shortly, through NHS England’s 2024 to 2025 revenue finance and contracting guidance. To ensure compliance against this requirement, and to strengthen oversight of funding that is used to deliver access to NHS dental care, NHS England will meet with, and collect monthly returns from, all ICBs, to establish current and planned spend against the ringfenced dental allocations budget. Data is not held centrally for dental budgets in prior years.

Ambulance Services: East Midlands

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average ambulance response times in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands were in the latest period for which figures are available; and what steps she is taking to help reduce ambulance response times in those areas.

Helen Whately: Lincolnshire and the East Midlands are served by the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS). The following table shows the average EMAS response time, broken down by response time category, in January 2024:Response time categoryResponse timeCategory 100:09:08Category 200:49:59Category 302:48:54Category 402:48:56Source: Ambulance response times are published monthly by NHS England, and are available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/Our Delivery Plan for Recovering Urgent and Emergency Care Services sets out a range of measures to support the reduction of Category 2 response times to 30 minutes on average. To increase capacity and improve ambulance response times, ambulance services are receiving £200 million of additional funding this year, alongside the delivery of new ambulances.

Hospices: North West

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's funding for (a) hospices in the North West and (b) Wigan & Leigh Hospice.

Helen Whately: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for determining the level of locally available, National Health Service-funded palliative and end of life care, including hospice care. ICBs are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population.The majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services. However, we also recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, play in providing support to people at end of life, and their families. Most hospices, including Wigan and Leigh Hospice, and many other hospices in the North West and the rest of England, are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding hospices receive is dependent on many factors, including what other statutory services are available within the ICB footprint. Charitable hospices provide a range of services which go beyond that which statutory services are legally required to provide. Consequently, the funding arrangements reflect this.

Health: Girls

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to improve girls' health.

Maria Caulfield: Health policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Women’s Health Strategy for England sets out our plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls. It takes a life course approach, focused on understanding the changing health and care needs of women and girls across their lives, from adolescents and young adults to later life. We recently set out our priorities for 2024, which include actions to improve girls’ health, such as improving care for menstrual problems like endometriosis, continuing to roll out women’s health hubs, and boosting research. In addition, the Department and the National Health Service have a number of universal public health interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of all children, and respond to further needs and safeguarding concerns. This includes investing approximately £300 million over three years to improve support for families though the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, the Family Nurse Partnership to support vulnerable young mothers, the Healthy Start scheme to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from low-income households, and Mental Health Support Teams in schools. To support our ambition to eliminate cervical cancer, all children aged 12 to 13 years old are offered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Due to the success of the adolescent HPV programme, there has been an 87% reduction in cervical cancers for those vaccinated when compared to previous generations.

Mental Health Services: Girls

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase girls' access to mental health services.

Maria Caulfield: Health policy is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. In England, through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is providing record levels of investment and increasing the mental health workforce, to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services in England. Almost £16 billion was invested in mental health in 2022/23, enabling 3.6 million people to be in contact with mental health services, a 10% increase on the previous year. Of these, nearly 560,000 were females under the age of 18 years old, a 12% increase on the previous year. We are rolling out mental health support teams to schools and colleges in England. There are now around 400 mental health support teams in place, covering 3.4 million children, or approximately 35% of pupils. We estimate that this will increase to 44% by April 2024, and we are working to increase this coverage to 50% of pupils by March 2025. In addition, we announced in October 2023 that £4.92 million would be available for 10 early support hubs in England. We are now providing an additional £3 million to expand the number of hubs to 24 across the country. This £8 million overall package will improve access for children and young people to vital mental health support, offering early interventions to improve wellbeing before their condition escalates further.

Primodos

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her Department’s policies of the report by the APPG on Hormone Pregnancy Test entitled Bitter Pill: Primodos - the forgotten thalidomide, published on 27 February 2024.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will implement the recommendations in the report by the APPG on Hormone Pregnancy Test entitled Bitter Pill: Primodos - the forgotten thalidomide, published on 27 February 2024.

Maria Caulfield: We remain hugely sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered due to the use of Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs). In 2017 an independent Expert Working Group conducted a comprehensive review of the available scientific evidence, and concluded that the data did not support a causal association between the use of HPTs, such as Primodos, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This remains the Government’s position. The Government has committed to reviewing any new evidence related to HPTs, and a possible causal association with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Antimicrobials: Drug Resistance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support research into anti-microbial resistance.

Maria Caulfield: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including anti-microbial resistance (AMR). Over the last five years, the NIHR’s programme funding for AMR has totalled £88 million. This includes research that aims to reduce the need for antibiotics, optimising their use and supporting the development of new antimicrobials. This does not include NIHR infrastructure, which is fundamental to supporting all health research. The NIHR has recently launched a competition for new Health Protection Research Units, in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency and academia, which will include multidisciplinary research to inform the prevention and control of AMR.

Mental Health Services

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support available to adults with complex mental health needs.

Maria Caulfield: Through the NHS Long Term plan, the Government is providing record levels of investment, and increasing the mental health workforce, to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services in England. Almost £16 billion was invested into mental health in 2022/23, enabling 3.6 million people to be in contact with mental health services.As part of this, we’re set to reach nearly £1 billion of additional funding invested by 2023/24, to transform community mental health services. This is the largest area of investment within the NHS Long Term Plan for mental health, aiming to support more people with the care that is most appropriate for their needs, and that is integrated between primary and community mental health services. Over the last full financial year, 2022/23, 288,000 adults and older adults with severe mental illness were able to access mental health support through these new models.The safety and care of mental health patients is of paramount importance. Those with complex mental health needs in an inpatient mental health facility deserve to receive safe, high-quality care, and to be treated with dignity and respect.NHS England has established a Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme. This programme is working to support cultural change and a new model of care for the future, across all NHS-funded mental health, learning disability, and autism inpatient settings.The ambition is to increasingly shift mental healthcare towards early intervention and prevention, with treatment primarily delivered in the community. This includes increasing the number of personalised care roles, such as peer support workers, with expansion focused on mental health services where need is greatest.

Mental Health Services: Liverpool

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with NHS trusts in the Liverpool City Region on the adequacy of mental health provision for adults.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England is responsible for supporting integrated care boards (ICBs), National Health Service providers, and their local partners, in delivering their plans. The relevant NHS England regional team holds the primary relationship with ICBs and their partner NHS providers.No such discussions have taken place within the last 12 months, between my Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and NHS trusts in the Liverpool City Region, on the adequacy of mental health provision for adults. In June 2023 ministers met with ICBs to discuss the Right Care, Right Person policy, which included representation from the Liverpool city region.

Social Work: Training

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 18 of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-2024, CP 598, published in January 2022, when she plans to implement veteran-aware training for social work teams in every local authority in England.

Maria Caulfield: The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-2024 included a commitment for the Office for Veterans' Affairs, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to explore options for the introduction of veteran-aware training for social work teams in every local authority in England. There are no immediate plans to implement this specific training.Instead, the Principal Social Work Network for Adults across England meet on a regular basis to review all aspects of social work practice and training, underpinned by statutory and policy guidance, which includes the needs of the veteran community. This national network comprises of representatives from all settings including local authorities, National Health Service bodies, the voluntary sector, and Ministry of Defence organisations, and shares an undertaking to develop the competence of the workforce to meet the needs of all vulnerable groups, including veterans and their families and carers.The Government has an ambition to make the United Kingdom the best place in the world to be a veteran by 2028. Veterans are entitled to the same social care and support as the civilian population in England.

Semaglutide

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure the adequacy of short-term supplies of the diabetes medication Ozempic or semaglutide.

Andrew Stephenson: Following intensive work with industry, the broad supply position for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in the United Kingdom has improved. However, global supply issues remain with specific medicines, including ozempic (semaglutide). We issued updated guidance to healthcare professionals in the form of a National Patient Safety Alert on 3 January 2024, on how to manage patients requiring these medicines, with input from expert clinicians. We continue to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of GLP-1 RAs for UK patients, and to resolve the remaining supply issues as quickly as possible, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries.We know how distressing and frustrating medicine supply issues can be, and the Department will continue to help ensure that these critical medicines reach diabetes patients. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.

Epilepsy: Drugs

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure adequate levels of supply of medications prescribed for epilepsy.

Andrew Stephenson: There are around 14,000 medicines licensed for supply in the United Kingdom, and while most are in good supply, there can sometimes be supply issues with a limited number of medicines. The medicine supply chain is highly regulated, complex, and global. Supply disruption is an issue which affects the UK, as well as the other countries around the world. The Department has been working intensively to address issues with the supply of some epilepsy medications. Guidance has been issued to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring affected medicines while supply is disrupted. We will continue to work closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others to help ensure patients continue to have access to an alternative treatment until their usual product is back in stock. The Department has been engaging with the Epilepsy Society, and we will continue to keep them updated on any developments.

Wandsworth Prison: Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals for secondary healthcare treatment for prisoners at HMP Wandsworth were made in each year since 2010.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals for secondary healthcare treatment for prisoners at HMP Wandsworth were missed in each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England has advised that it is unable to provide information prior to 1 September 2019, due to a new contract commencing with a new healthcare provider. The total number of prisoners at HMP Wandsworth referred to secondary healthcare treatment between 1 September 2019 and 11 March 2024, is 661. The number of these referrals which were missed is not held.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medication in (a) Shropshire and (b) England.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to increase the availability of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medication in (a) Shropshire and (b) England.

Andrew Stephenson: Disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. Information on the adequacy of the availability of ADHD medication is not collected at local level.The Department has been working with industry to help resolve those issues and expedite deliveries, to boost supplies of these important medicines as quickly as possible. As a result of our ongoing activity and intensive work, some issues have been resolved. Certain strengths of lisdexamphetamine, guanfacine, and all strengths of atomoxetine capsules are now available.Unfortunately, some medicine supply issues remain for some strengths of lisdexamphetamine and methylphenidate. We are escalating these issues within the manufacturers to ensure action is taken to resolve them as quickly as possible. If any patient is concerned about their treatment, they should discuss this with their clinician at the earliest opportunity.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 14455 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, how many veterans were referred to Op COURAGE more than once since its inception.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 14455 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using social prescribing to support veterans with mild mental health conditions.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 12907 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, if she will make an estimate of the number of veterans with gambling addictions that have used Op COURAGE since its inception.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, which provides a comprehensive mental health service for veterans. Since its inception in 2017, over 35,000 referrals have been made to Op COURAGE. NHS England does not hold data on the number of veterans who have accessed Op COURAGE services on more than one occasion, or the numbers of veterans with gambling additions that have used Op COURAGE.NHS England has commissioned three pilot sites to explore and evaluate the merits of social prescribing in the Armed Forces Community. The outcome of the evaluation is planned for Autumn 2024, and the findings will inform a toolkit which can be used by other social prescribing teams.

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Energy

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much her Department invested in UK-based energy businesses in each year since 2015.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Business and Trade does not directly invest in businesses of any kind but does support companies or projects seeking financial investment from third parties. In its capacity as the UK’s export credit agency, any support provided by UK Export Finance (UKEF) to exporters takes the form of loans, guarantees or insurance provided at commercial rates. UKEF does not provide direct funding to, or make equity investments in, the businesses that it supports. A summary of the support provided by UKEF for each financial year is provided in the annual report and accounts, which are available online at: UK Export Finance annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Trading Standards

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to assess the performance of local authority trading standards bodies.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Barnet trading standards.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to publish league tables on the performance of activities of local trading standards bodies.

Kevin Hollinrake: Trading Standards provide a range of services that fall under the remit of a number of Departments. However, Trading Standards services are delivered by Local Authorities, who are responsible for their operation and effectiveness. As Local Government is independent of Central Government, the Department for Business does not therefore have a remit to assess the performance of Trading Standards and would not therefore produce or publish league tables of such bodies.

Domestic Visits: Bournemouth

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether (a) she and (b) other Ministers in her Department plan to visit Bournemouth in the next six months.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The ministerial team within the Department for Business and Trade do not have any visits currently scheduled to visit Bournemouth in the next 6 months. We are still planning a forward look for this period of time, however, so this is subject to change.

Department for Business and Trade: Overseas Companies

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which overseas companies registered in the UK per industry have received funding from her Department in each year since 2015.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: This information is not held centrally. To provide an accurate breakdown of funding would incur a disproportionate cost. In its capacity as the UK’s export credit agency, any support provided by UK Export Finance (UKEF) to exporters takes the form of loans, guarantees or insurance provided at commercial rates. UKEF does not provide direct funding to, or make equity investments in, the businesses that it supports.’ A summary of the support provided by UKEF for each financial year is provided in the annual report and accounts, which are available online at: UK Export Finance annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Post Office: Finance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Supplementary Estimates, published on 27 February 2024, HC 500, how she plans to spend the additional £1.09 billion requested by her Department for the Post Office; and whether this sum includes the £123 million already settled with sub-postmasters by the Post Office.

Kevin Hollinrake: The £1.09 billion requested by the Department for Post Office related matters as part of Supplementary Estimates for 23/24 is split by £338.4 million Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (RDEL), and £752.4 million non-cash Annually Managed Expenditure (AME). The £338.4 million RDEL includes funding for redress to postmasters, investment costs to replace the Horizon IT system, delivery of the Horizon IT Inquiry and compensation schemes, Post Office’s corporation tax liabilities and the Group Litigation Order redress scheme. The increase of £752.4 million AME budget is due to the expected increase in the provision for likely future costs relating to Post Office redress schemes. The forecast for the outstanding estimated liability is updated and agreed with HM Treasury on an annual basis. This detail is shortly to be published in the Explanatory Memorandum for the Department. Funding drawn down by the Department at the Supplementary Estimate relates only to value of expected redress settlements within this Financial Year, as well as other payments outlined above, and not to total amounts paid out to postmasters to date.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Second Report of the Business and Trade Committee of Session 2023-24 on UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, HC483, published on 19 February 2024, whether a debate will be held on a substantive motion on the UK’s accession to that Partnership before the period the treaty is laid before Parliament under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 concludes on 22 March 2024.

Greg Hands: The Government is committed to effective scrutiny of its trade agenda and has put in place a comprehensive framework for scrutiny of free trade agreements (FTAs). This includes a commitment to seek to hold a general debate on a new FTA where one is requested by the relevant Select Committee in a timely manner, subject to parliamentary time. The Government's view is that a general debate is the appropriate mechanism for Parliament to debate a new FTA. The scheduling of parliamentary business is not a matter for the Department for Business and Trade, but the Government is aware of the Business and Trade Committee’s request for a debate.

Export Controls: Sanctions

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the Export Control Joint Unit reviews urgent trade sanctions license applications in a timely manner.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In making decisions on whether to grant a licence to permit something otherwise prohibited by sanctions legislation & regulations, the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), comprised of subject matter experts and officials in the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ministry of Defence, acts on behalf of the Secretary of State. ECJU is obligated to consider applications on a case-by-case basis, determining whether granting a licence would be consistent with the stated purposes of the sanctions regime, licensing grounds, and United Nations or international law obligations. When assessing applications ECJU also consults and considers views from a range of other government departments.

Department for Business and Trade: Domestic Visits

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, to which domestic destinations Ministers in her Department and its predecessor Departments have attended overnight visits in each of the last three financial years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The regions visited with an overnight stay over the last 3 financial years are as follows:Financial YearRegions visited2021 – 2022Scotland – 12 Northern Powerhouse – 4 Wales – 1 South West – 2 Jersey – 1 Northern Ireland – 22022 – 2023Scotland – 3 Northern Ireland – 4 South West – 2 Northern Powerhouse – 2 Wales – 1 2023 – 2024Northern Powerhouse – 3 Northern Ireland – 7 Midlands – 1 Scotland – 1 Channel Islands – 2 South West – 1

Chambers of Commerce: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding her Department and its predecessor Department allocated to the (a) Turkish-British Chamber of Commerce, (b) British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, (c) British Chamber of Commerce in Brazil, (d) UK-India Business Council, (e) Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce and (f) British Chamber of Business in Southern Africa in each of the last 10 years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Business and Trade and the former Department for International Trade have not provided any funding to the Chambers of Commerce requested except for the UK-India Business Council. The funding provided to it is as follows:YearSpend2013 (October-March inclusive)£441,344.542014£3,428,243.202015£2,269,682.032016£1,955,098.942017£1,499,191.332018£1,311,455.202019£1,059,669.002020£828,695.002021£1,115,025.002022£270,835.00

Home Office

Offences against Children

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2024 to Question 12789 on Offences against Children, what steps is he taking to incorporate paragraph 35 of General Comment 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to allow the (a) police and (b) other public authorities to investigate child welfare and safeguarding when an individual is suspected of a violent animal welfare offence.

Laura Farris: We believe our existing domestic legislation gives effect to the rights within the UNCRC, without the need for it to be incorporated through an additional Bill. For example, the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004 sets out a range of duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Aviation: Passengers

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 15272 on Aviation: Passengers, if he will estimate the number of general aviation flights that landed in the UK without providing advance passenger information in each year since 2015.

Tom Pursglove: Given our commitment to protecting the UK from harm, I remain unable to share figures which can reveal operational practices that could be exploited to evade border controls.

Asylum

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many outstanding asylum claims there are.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum claims awaiting an initial decision is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate to December 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Asylum: RAF Scampton

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of proposals to house asylum seekers at the former RAF base at Scampton.

Tom Pursglove: Cost information is prospective and commercially sensitive, and as such is not available to be released. The pressure on the asylum system from small boat arrivals has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which are more appropriate and offer better value for the taxpayer than expensive hotels.

Asylum: Ukraine

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his planned timetable is for establishing a process by which Ukrainians who did not receive a 1A stamp on arrival to the UK are able to apply for a biometric residence permit and extend their leave to remain.

Tom Pursglove: We are aware of occasions where Ukrainians did not have their passport endorsed by an immigration official on arrival to the UK. Measures have been taken to prevent this from occurring in the future, and steps are being taken to progress those applications affected.

Non-governmental Organisations: Visas

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to work with Cabinet colleagues on visas for representatives of international NGOs to take part in (a) advocacy meetings and (b) other UK-hosted events.

Tom Pursglove: UKVI routinely works with colleagues across Government, including the Cabinet Office, to ensure attendees to UK supported events are able to proceed legally and securely. Employees of certain international organisations based in, or with offices in, the UK who have been recruited overseas, as well as representatives and officials of the international organisations listed when travelling to the UK in their official capacity on the official business of that organisation, are exempt from immigration control. Employees of the international organisations listed on the following site would qualify for exempt entry clearances: List of International organisations whose employees qualify for exempt entry clearances (accessible version) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). When a visa is required, UKVI works towards a 15 working day customer service standard, which includes options for priority (5 working days) and super priority (24 hours) decisions where available.

Arms Trade: Russia

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Border Force is taking to (a) identify and (b) detain people crossing the border who have been involved in the (i) funding and (ii) supply of munitions to Russia.

Tom Pursglove: The Home Office’s priority is to deliver a safe and secure border and we will never compromise on this. Border Force maintain 100% checks for all scheduled arriving passengers into the UK.We operate the Authority to Carry Scheme 2023 to prevent certain individuals from travelling to or from the UK when that is necessary in the public interest.

Visas: Care Workers

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism entitled Visa system forces care workers to stay silent on rape and abuse, published on 11 March 2024.

Tom Pursglove: The Government strongly condemns any allegations of such abuse.Anyone who has witnessed or been the victim of criminal activity should, in the first instance, contact the police.The UK’s sponsorship system has a built-in compliance framework, which has strong safeguards to prevent sponsors from engaging in illegal employment practices.Sponsors are required to comply with UK laws, including wider employment law (such as working hours and meeting minimum salary requirements). UKVI have powers to revoke a licence where any of the key personnel named on it are convicted of certain serious offences. UKVI regularly visits premises to check sponsor compliance with the duties and requirements set out in the sponsor guidance, and this is frequently done alongside the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, whose specific remit is to protect vulnerable and exploited workers.Employers in the health and care sector are also expected to adhere to the Department’s Health and Social Care’s Code of Practice for international recruitment. This sets out clear routes of escalation for anyone with concerns about exploitative recruitment or employment practices. It can be accessed here:www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel-in-england.Anyone who has witnessed or has been the victim of immigration abuse is strongly encouraged to report an immigration or border crime here: www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime.Or, to the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) here: www.gla.gov.uk/report-issues/.

Police: Maternity Leave

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of maternity leave for serving police officers in England.

Chris Philp: The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) consider and make recommendations to the Government on the pay, allowances, hours of duty and leave for police officers. The Government values their independent and expert advice.Police officers may take up to 15 months’ maternity leave. Officers who meet the relevant qualifying criteria receive full pay for 26 weeks.

Cannabis: Mental Health

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent review of drugs by Professor Dame Carol Black, if his Department will commission further research on the potential impact of the use of (a) skunk and (b) all other cannabis on levels of psychosis.

Chris Philp: Dame Carol Black’s independent review of drugs noted that cannabis poses a large number of health risks, including psychological and respiratory disorders, particularly given increases in potency. There is a growing body of evidence that indicates a link between cannabis and psychosis which underlines the importance of our approach to tackling its misuse. Cannabis continues to be the most commonly used drug and around 21% of adults starting drug treatment between 2021 and 2022 said they had a problem with cannabis use.For this reason, cannabis is controlled under Class B of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health, and harms people and communities.At the UK Drugs Ministerial in November 2023, the latest research findings into the links between cannabis and psychosis were presented by a leading academic and those findings are informing policy making. The department has no current plans to commission further research into the links between cannabis and psychosis but continues to keep all drugs under review and will consider all evidence as appropriate.

Wayne Couzens

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers in managerial roles have faced disciplinary action as a result of inquiries into Wayne Couzens.

Chris Philp: The IOPC carried out a number of investigations into incidents related to Wayne Couzens, including the handling of indecent exposure allegations against him and sharing offensive content via social media.As a result, a total of eleven officers from multiple forces faced disciplinary action; ten of these were constables and one was a sergeant.Seven of the officers were found to have committed gross misconduct at proceedings and were dismissed, or would have been dismissed if still serving. Two officers received final written warnings and two officers received reflective practice.

Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the call for evidence relating to potential regulations under the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill 2023.

Chris Philp: The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which gained Royal Assent on 20 July 2023. The Act will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to specified new agricultural equipment such as All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes. The Act also provides a power for the Secretary of State to extend requirements to other equipment designed for use in agricultural or commercial activities, via secondary legislation.A call for evidence was published last summer, seeking views on the details needed for the secondary legislation, targeted at those who may be affected by proposals, including the agricultural and construction sectors, manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement.Over 200 responses to the call for evidence were received, and we have further engaged with manufacturers and retailers to discuss responses in detail. I am carefully considering responses before publishing the Government response.

Home Office: Fraud and Maladministration

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report.Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss, and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the document entitled Draft terms of reference for the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, what updates his Department has provided on relevant developments in its area of work to that group since 2019.

Tom Tugendhat: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities over a range of issues. More broadly, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 16019 on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.

Cybercrime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to tackle (a) online scams and (b) other cyber crime.

Tom Tugendhat: Fraud is designated a priority offence under the Online Safety Act (OSA), meaning companies will be held to account if they fail to remove illegal content on their platforms. This is expected to have a strong impact on some of the highest harm fraud types, such as online purchase, investment and romance scams, as well as key fraud enablers such as the recruitment and use of money mules.However, the OSA will take time to come into force. Therefore, the Government has also created the Online Fraud Charter: a voluntary agreement bringing together the largest companies in the tech sector, who have committed to a series of actions aimed at reducing fraud on their platforms and services. The Charter was signed on 30 November, and will deliver a much quicker and more targeted response than regulation: Online Fraud Charter - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Tackling cyber crime is at the heart of the Government’s National Cyber Strategy 2022-25, which is supported by £2.6 billion of investment through the National Cyber Fund.As part of the Criminal Justice Bill, we are also introducing a new power for law enforcement and other investigative agencies to act to suspend IP addresses and domain names where they are being used for a criminal activity with a link to the UK.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the level of activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the UK.

Tom Tugendhat: While we do not routinely comment on the detail of operational or intelligence matters, the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations.The UK Government has long been clear about our concerns over the malign activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and we will continue to hold Iran and the IRGC to account. The UK has sanctioned the IRGC in its entirety and on the 29th January 2024 the UK and US announced new sanctions to tackle the domestic threat posed by the Iranian regime. The UK sanctioned 7 individuals and 1 organisation, including senior Iranian officials and members of organised criminal gangs who collaborate with the regime, in order to expose and disrupt Iran’s activities in the UK and overseas.We continually assess potential threats in the UK and use all tools at our disposal to protect the UK and our interests from Iran-linked threats.

Armed Forces: Counter-terrorism

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times a member of the Armed Forces was referred to Prevent in each year since 2018.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office publishes data on Prevent referrals in the annual Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)This includes publishing a breakdown of the ‘Sector of referral of those referred’. Table 1 provides a yearly breakdown of the number of referrals from ‘Other’ sectors. ‘Other’ sectors includes military, government (includes Home Office Enforcement and HMRC), or other private sectors of employment. At this time we are unable to disaggregate the military component for the full time series.

Laboratories: Disease Control

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to improve the biosecurity of laboratories handling dangerous pathogens.

Tom Tugendhat: Part 7 of the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act (ATCSA) 2001 regulates the ability of sites such as universities, hospitals and research centres to hold and work with certain dangerous pathogens and toxins as listed under Schedule 5 of the Act.The legislation places several responsibilities on sites including notifying the Home Office of their intention to hold or work with such substances, and ensuring suitable security measures are in place.Current security levels around Schedule 5 substances remain sufficiently high and we continue to work with the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) to continuously review and improve the policies, processes and legislation surrounding Schedule 5 substances.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of civil service recruitment campaigns failed to fill the post advertised in each financial year from 2019/20.

John Glen: The Government Recruitment Service collaborates with departments, functions and professions to develop and deliver high quality, customer-focused recruitment that identifies and attracts the best people for roles whilst offering a wide range of services. It offers core low-cost solutions to meet routine recruitment needs and handles more complex or specialist campaigns by tailoring its approach to attract and recruit the highest quality candidates.The following table presents civil service recruitment campaigns with successful and unsuccessful vacancy outcomes for campaigns managed by the Government Recruitment Service.YearVacancy Outcome SuccessfulVacancy Outcome UnsuccessfulTotal number of vacancies202010080514615226202115871951125382202216047985125898202313909957623485Total559073408489991 The Government Recruitment Service does not hold any data on why candidates are not successful. However, there could be a range of reasons for non-appointment. All candidates will have been sifted or interviewed out of the recruiting process.

Cabinet Office: Domestic Visits

Pat McFadden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, to which domestic destinations Ministers in his Department have attended overnight visits in each of the last three financial years.

Alex Burghart: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to my response to UIN 17515 on 12th March 2024.

Central Digital and Data Office: Staff

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in the Government Digital and Data profession on 11 March (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.

Alex Burghart: The Digital and Data profession issues a Workforce Planning data Commission twice a year in April and October. Below are the number of full-time Civil Servant professionals in filled positions for the years 2022 and 2023:a) 2022, April commission: 16,662b) 2023, April commission: 20,163c) 2023, October commission: 21,366The 2024 April commission is being issued this month (March 2024), workforce data is therefore not yet available. We are firmly on track to reach its target 6% of the overall civil service workforce by 2025.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many government services have onboarded to One Login.

Alex Burghart: The GOV.UK One Login system is fully operational, providing a simple and secure way for people to access government services online. Users can create an account, login and prove (and then reuse) their identity - through either a web-based journey, smartphone app or in-person route - to access an initial set of 30 government services. This includes important services such as ‘Request a Disclosure and Barring Service Basic Check’, ‘Apply for an HM Armed Forces Veteran Card’ and ‘Sign Your Mortgage Deed’. We are on track to onboard additional services - including in HMRC, DWP and DVLA - over the next year, bringing the total number to at least 145.

Government Communication Service: Civil Servants

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in ministerial departments worked in the Government Communication Service profession in each financial year from 2010/11.

Alex Burghart: The information requested is not held centrally from 2010 to date.

Ministry of Justice

Wandsworth Prison: Health Services

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to open the healthcare centre at HMP Wandsworth.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason the healthcare centre at HMP Wandsworth did not open in October 2021; and what the cost to the public purse was of the change in opening date.

Edward Argar: The healthcare unit is expected to open in the coming weeks, once a number of IT hardware issues and telephony have been resolved. Its delay in opening is due to supply chain issues which we are working to expediate.The cost to the public purse of this delay is being evaluated and cannot be confirmed at present.The refurbishment of healthcare facilities at HMP Wandsworth is part of the wider decisive action we are taking to improve safety and conditions at the prison, including boosting staffing levels and investing millions into upgrades such as rolling out new CCTV, installing new windows and repairing roofs.

Coroners: Standards

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of coroners' inquests.

Mike Freer: The coroner’s statutory duty, through the investigation and inquest process, is to establish who has died, and when, where and how they died. Coroners are independent judicial office holders and the way in which they conduct their investigations and inquests is a matter for them. However, the Government and the Chief Coroner are clear that the bereaved should be placed at the heart of this process.The office of the Chief Coroner was introduced in 2013 to provide judicial leadership, guidance and support to coroners and to promote consistency of standards and practice. In addition, the Chief Coroner is required to provide an annual report to the Lord Chancellor which, amongst other issues, assesses the consistency of standards between coroner areas.The Government continues to identify and implement measures to promote consistency of standards in coroner services – for example, through the programme of coroner area mergers, and by means of a suite of provisions in the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 to streamline coronial processes.We also accepted a number of recommendations made by the Justice Committee following its 2021 Inquiry into the Coroner Service, and undertook to give further consideration to others. The Committee’s current follow up Inquiry will, amongst other issues, consider progress against those recommendations.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond substantively to the correspondence of 1 February 2024 from the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, reference MC112949.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice responded to the letter on 14 March 2024. The Ministry of Justice takes the handling of correspondence very seriously and in this instance, due to an administrative error, there was a delay in responding. As outlined in our response, we apologise for the delay in responding.

Ministry of Justice: Domestic Visits

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Mike Freer: I refer the Hon. Member to my response to PQ 17532 on 13 March 2024.

Administration of Justice

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an estimate of the average number of single justice procedure cases magistrates presided over per day in the last 12 months.

Mike Freer: There were 251 distinct days in which Single Justice Procedure (SJP) cases were heard in a magistrates’ court between October 2022 and September 2023.The latest published data on completed SJP cases is available to September 2023 and can be found in Table T1 which is accessible at the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Based on this information, the average number of SJP cases completed per working day is 3,151. This excludes weekends and the 9 public holidays.

Administration of Justice

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Equality Act 2010 on legal cases brought forward via the single justice procedure.

Mike Freer: The Single Justice Procedure (SJP) was introduced under the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. Prior to the introduction of the procedure, in accordance with the Equalities Act 2010, an equality impact assessment was undertaken in relation to SJP. This concluded that on the basis of the available evidence, the planned change in summary justice would not lead to any positive or negative impact on people with protected characteristics. HMCTS committed to the Justice Select Committee to collect protected characteristic data in all reform services. This includes protected characteristic data for SJP, which has been monitored since 2023. The decision to prosecute under SJP is a decision for the prosecutor and not the Government.

Administration of Justice

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of cases under the single justice procedure were prosecuted in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Mike Freer: The number of defendants dealt with via Single Justice Procedure (SJP) notifications at the magistrates’ courts is published as part of the National Statistics series ‘Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly’. Additionally, this series also provides the total number of defendants dealt with in the magistrates’ court, these can be used to calculate the proportion of SJPs in the magistrates’ caseload.The latest published data is available to September 2023 and can be found in Tables T1 & T2 which are accessible by the following link: Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Travellers: Sentencing

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the recommendations in the report by the Traveller Movement entitled Fair Sentencing for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller People, published in December 2023.

Mike Freer: HMPPS has been working closely with The Traveller Movement since the publication of ‘Pre-Sentencing Report Toolkit Fair Sentencing for Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller People’.We are working through the report together to see how the some of the findings can better support our work.As part of the HMPPS Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Strategy, an Aide Memoir: ‘Preparing pre-sentence reports for ethnic minority people’ was published in December 2023, giving specific guidance and information regarding GRT community members. We will add to this as appropriate through the above-mentioned collaboration. We will also carefully consider the findings of the report regarding future policy reviews and updates.

Young Offender Institutions: Children in Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of how many children in youth offender institutions are care experienced.

Edward Argar: Data on children in youth offender institutions who have experience of local authority care are not collated centrally and could not therefore be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is committed to meeting the needs of all vulnerable children and young people, including those who have previously been in local authority care.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2024 to Question 15927 on Prisons: Civil Disorder, whether there is a minimum staffing requirement for Tornado teams.

Edward Argar: Operation Tornado is a national mutual aid plan by which prisons support one another in the event of a serious incident or occurrence requiring a reinforcement of staff. Operation Tornado is employed by HMPPS for three main reasons:In response to a serious incident requiring a reinforcement of staff.In response to other events or crisis requiring additional staff, who may not necessarily need to be Tornado trained.To aid the transfer of prisoners in the event of a serious incident or the threat of one (with the GOLD commander’s agreement).There is no minimum staffing requirement for Tornado teams. HMPPS monitors the number of staff available for deployment and offer training spaces to ensure resilience to respond to serious incidents.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Domestic Visits

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, to which domestic destinations Ministers in her Department have attended overnight visits in each of the last three financial years.

Damian Hinds: I refer the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton South East to the answer of 12 March 2024 to Question 17517.

Department for Education: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support she provides to employers to help their workforce gain a Level (a) 2 and (b) 3 IT qualification.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) adults and (b) young people have sufficient IT skills for work.

Robert Halfon: Digital and computing skills are critical to achieving the government’s science and technology superpower ambitions, which the department set out in the UK Science & Technology Framework in March this year.The department has developed an ambitious skills agenda, backed by an additional £3.8 billion in further education and skills over the lifetime of this parliament. Through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the department introduced a new legal entitlement in August 2020 to fully fund adults (19+) with low digital skills to undertake an Essential Digital Skills Qualification, up to Level 1. The department has further enhanced the offer by introducing Digital Functional Skills qualifications in August 2023. These qualifications were developed through employer supported National Standards and provide learners with the essential digital skills they need to participate actively in life, work and society.The department has also taken steps to embed essential digital skills training as part of study programmes for 16 to19 year olds. Where students are identified as having low levels of digital skills, education providers will integrate essential digital skills development, where it is needed, into their learning programme.The department has also funded community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the AEB. Many local authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.From next year, the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) will continue to support both qualifications and tailored learning, which includes community learning type provision, so adults can retrain and upskill in the most effective way.Ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have the world class computing and digital knowledge and skills they need for the future is a key priority of this government. The department introduced computing as a statutory national curriculum subject in 2014, from key stages 1 to 4 inclusive. The new computing curriculum supports pupils to become digitally literate and acquire the knowledge and skills they need to become competent, confident, and creative users of technology. Through computing, pupils are taught how to analyse problems in computational terms and write computer programs, how to use technology safely and responsibly, and how to create digital artefacts.The department has invested significantly in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) to improve the teaching of computing and drive up participation in computer science at GCSE and A level. To date, over 13,000 teachers have engaged with subject knowledge courses offered by the NCCE, helping to create more confident teachers of computing.The department has introduced three Digital T Levels: Digital Business Services, Digital Production, Design and Development, and Digital Support Services. These are the gold-standard Level 3 technical qualifications, designed with employers to meet industry standards and with a significant industry placement built in. These will help to give important experience of work within the digital sector. Digital skills are increasingly important across all occupations, which is why every T Level has the digital skills necessary for employment embedded into its curriculum.Additionally, employers have developed more than 30 high-quality digital apprenticeships to support them develop the skilled workforces they need. Apprenticeships include Level 3 Information Communications Technician, Level 3 IT Solutions Technician and Level 3 Digital Support Technician. In the 2022/23 academic year, the number of starts in the Information and Communication Technology sector subject area grew to 25,100 starts, up 10% from 22,820 from 2021/22. The department is increasing investment in the apprenticeships system in England to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year to support employers of all sizes and in all sectors offer high-quality apprenticeship opportunities.Employers can also make use of the department’s Skills Bootcamp offer, which provides free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills.

Family Conciliation Services

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of therapists offering reunification therapy services to help with cases of family breakdown.

David Johnston: The information requested is not held centrally.

Special Educational Needs

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 9 of the document entitled SEND and alternative provision improvement plan, published on 2 March 2023, when her Department plans to publish guidance to support effective transitions between (a) all stages of education and (b) into employment and adult services.

David Johnston: The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, outlines the government’s mission to establish a single, national SEND and AP system. Alongside this, the department published a roadmap which summarises the actions set out in the Improvement Plan to improve the SEND and AP system in England. The SEND and AP improvement plan can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-alternative-provision-improvement-plan. The roadmap can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-and-alternative-provision-improvement-plan/send-and-alternative-provision-roadmap.As part of this roadmap, the department committed to publishing this guidance by the end of 2025.

Families: Social Workers

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to tackle shortages in family social workers.

David Johnston: Social workers play a valuable role in supporting the most vulnerable in society and the department is committed to ensuring there is an excellent child and family social worker for everyone who needs one. The department recognises the ongoing challenge facing local authorities across the country in recruiting and retaining child and family social workers, with reasons for social workers leaving the profession varied and complex.On 2 February 2023, the department published the care reform strategy, ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, which set out proposals to help stabilise the workforce. This includes supporting the recruitment of up to 461 social worker apprentices, a new Early Career Framework that will set out the development plans for a social worker’s first five years, proposals to reduce the overreliance on agency social workers, and setting up a National Workload Action Group to tackle unnecessary workload drivers which keep social workers away from direct time with children and families.Every year, through the department’s fast track and development programmes, the department trains an average of 800 new social workers and provides professional development for around 4,000 others.The number of full time equivalent child and family social workers in post at 30 September 2023 was 33,100. This is the highest figure we've seen since gathering this data. The statistics show that the department’s £50 million average yearly investment over this Spending Review on recruitment and training child and family social workers, alongside the hard work of local authorities is generating positive results.

Special Educational Needs

James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to reduce the time taken to process special educational needs and disabilities applications for education, health and care plans.

David Johnston: The department wants to ensure that education, health and care (EHC) plan applications are processed promptly and, where required, plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need. In March 2023 the government set out its plans to reform and improve the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system through its SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan. The SEND and AP Improvement Plan commits to establishing a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment.As part of these reforms, the department is currently testing measures to deliver a nationally consistent EHC plan system to improve the quality and speed with which support is put in place. The department is also considering the skills and training which local authority caseworker teams require and is offering some short-term legal training to local authority caseworker teams.Where local authorities are failing to deliver consistent outcomes for children and young people with SEND, we work with them using a range of improvement programmes and SEND specialist advisors to address weaknesses.The department is monitoring Sandwell’s EHC plan performance and is offering specialist support through a specialist SEND Advisor. Following the Ofsted and CQC visit in July 2023, three areas for improvement were identified. The local area has published its Sandwell Local Area Partnership Inclusion (SEND and AP) Plan 2023/2026 and progress on improvement will be continuously monitored by the department and NHS England.Following the Ofsted and CQC re-visit to Dudley in February 2022, an Accelerated Progress Plan (APP) was put in place to address six areas of weakness. EHC plan timeliness was not identified as an area of weakness, although through the APP, the department, along with a specialist SEND Advisor and NHS England, works closely with the local area to ensure they are supported in addressing issues and driving improvements to services, including continuous improvement in EHC plan timeliness.

Carers

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 13186 on Carers, whether the training and information that will be accessible via the supplier Kinship’s website performs the function of a portal.

David Johnston: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Milton Keynes North, to the answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 13186.

Academies

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many investigations into academy trusts have been completed by the Education & Skills Funding Agency since 1 November 2022.

Robert Halfon: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) may conduct or commission investigations into allegations of fraud, theft or irregularity in any academy trust. Since 1 November 2022, ESFA has completed seven investigations into academy trusts.

Training: Qualifications

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help ensure every (a) young person and (b) adult receives free training to gain a Level (a) 2 and (b) 3 qualification.

Robert Halfon: After leaving school, young people in England aged 16 to 18 are required to stay in full-time education, for example at a college, by starting an apprenticeship, or spending 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training. Therefore, most young people legally residing in England are eligible for 16 to 19 study programme funding. Additionally, students aged 19 to 24 that have an Education, Health and Care plan are also eligible for funding.The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). This equated to £1.34 billion in the 2023/24 funding year. In 2023/24, the government devolved approximately 60% of the AEB to 9 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA).These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers. Devolved MCAs and the GLA decide how to make best use of the AEB to meet the needs of their areas and decide which providers to contract with to deliver AEB-funded learning.The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas. The ESFA AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to Level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. This includes:Fully funded courses in English and mathematics, up to and including Level 2, for adult learners (aged 19+) who have not previously attained a GCSE grade C/4 or higher.Fully funded first full Level 2 and/or Level 3 for learners aged 19 to 23.In addition, the Free Courses for Jobs offer, which was launched in April 2021, gives eligible adults the chance to access high value Level 3 qualification for free, which can support them to gain higher wages or a better job. Adults are eligible on the offer if they do not already have a Level 3 qualification or already have a Level 3 qualification but are on low wage or unemployed. Over 400 qualifications are available on the offer, chosen specifically as they offer good wage outcomes and address skills needs in the economy.

Special Educational Needs: Free Schools

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special free schools had an Ofsted inspection in the last three years.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special free schools had an outstanding Ofsted rating in the last three years.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special free schools had an inadequate Ofsted rating in the last three years.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many special free schools are in special measures.

Damian Hinds: 42 special free schools had an Ofsted inspection between 31 January 2021 and 31 January 2024. 5 special free schools had an Outstanding rating following an Ofsted inspection between 31 January 2021 and 31 January 2024. The proportion of Good special free schools is higher than the figure for all special schools. 62% of special free schools that were inspected in the last 3 years were Good in comparison to 53% of all special schools that were inspected in the last 3 years. 3 special free schools had an Inadequate rating following an Ofsted inspection between 31 January 2021 and 31 January 2024. 3 special free schools are in special measures as of 31 January 2024. Ofsted inspection data from 31 January 2024 is the most recent available.

Treasury

Government: Gifts and Endowments

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many voluntary donations have been paid to the Government in each of the last 20 years; and what the total amount paid in voluntary donations is over that time period.

Nigel Huddleston: HM Treasury received a total of 137 voluntary donations for a total of £4,111,587.79 from January 2003 up to 13th March 2024. The breakdown for each year is in the table below. Calendar yearNo. of donationsValue of donations20034£3,103.0020047£97,518.1320051£5.0020067£821,669.4120073£4,270.6620084£5,411.1720097£452,208.8120107£972,621.7120117£60,657.1920121£670.0020131£99,423.0020140-20150-20162£47,078.4120173£92,847.5320181£800.0020193£65,000.0020201£1,193,875.76202110£13,334.00202229£150,120.55202338£28,212.262024 (to 13th Mar)1£2,761.20TOTAL137£4,111,587.79

Foreign Exchange

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to remove the corporate opt-out for cross-border payments pricing disclosures.

Bim Afolami: The UK’s legislative framework for payment services, including cross-border payments, places various disclosure requirements on payment firms. This includes the ability to opt out of disclosures for certain corporates, where both parties agree.This legislation derives from EU law, which will be replaced under the government’s Smarter Regulatory Framework programme. Under this, it is intended that government legislation will set the framework within which the regulators will operate. In general, firm-facing requirements, such as these cross-border disclosures, will be determined by the relevant regulator (in this case, the FCA).

Inheritance Tax: Domicil

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to make the assets of non-domiciled UK residents subject to inheritance tax.

Nigel Huddleston: From April 2025, the government will abolish the current tax regime for non-UK domiciled individuals, or non-doms, and get rid of the outdated concept of domicile in the tax system, replacing this with a modern, simpler, fairer and competitive residence-based regime. The government will also move to a residence-based regime for Inheritance Tax (IHT) and will consult in due course on the best way to achieve this. No changes to IHT will take effect before April 2025. Further information can be found in the published technical note: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-taxation-of-non-uk-domiciled-individuals.

Tax Avoidance: Bankruptcy

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations has he received on section 684 notices.

Nigel Huddleston: In May 2022, the Court of Appeal confirmed that HMRC could use provisions in tax legislation (section 684(7A)(b) of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003). HMRC is using these provisions in line with the Court of Appeal judgment.The Government has received representations about s684(7A)(b) from several Members on behalf of their constituents, as well as the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Loan Charge and Taxpayer Fairness.

Research: Tax Allowances

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits were outstanding in each month in 2023.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits were approved in each month in 2023.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many applications for R&D tax credits were denied in each month in 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: HMRC publish R&D statistics annually, the latest publication can be found on Gov.uk at Research and Development Tax Credits Statistics: September 2023.

Individual Savings Accounts

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will allow fractional shares to be included in ISAs.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to allow fractional shares to be included in the new British ISA.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing investors to invest in fractional shares.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had recent discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on including fractional shares in ISAs.

Bim Afolami: The government is committed to ensuring people have the opportunity to invest in a diverse range of investment types through their ISAs. As announced at Autumn Statement 2023 and confirmed at Spring Budget 2024, this includes certain fractional share contracts.The government is working as quickly as possible to bring forward legislation to include certain fractional share contracts in ISAs by the end of the summer following detailed engagement with industry and the FCA.The government is also consulting on the design and implementation of the UK ISA, including eligible investments, and welcomes responses from stakeholders before the deadline of 6th June.

Taxis: VAT

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.81 of the Autumn Statement 2023, published in November 2023, what his planned timetable is to open the consultation on the VAT treatment of private hire vehicles.

Nigel Huddleston: As announced at Spring Budget, the Government will launch the consultation on the impacts of the July 2023 High Court ruling in Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC in April.

Electric Vehicles: VAT

Matt Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of raising the luxury vehicles tax threshold for electric vehicles.

Gareth Davies: As with all taxes, the Government keeps the Expensive Car Supplement under review, and any changes will be announced at a future fiscal event.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Budget 2024, HC 560, published on 6 March 2024, whether he made an assessment with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the potential impact of freezing alcohol duty on public health.

Gareth Davies: Treasury ministers and officials regularly engage with the Department of Health and Social Care on a variety of issues, including alcohol policy. The Treasury also engaged extensively with external stakeholders and other Government departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care, as part of the policy development and delivery process for the new alcohol reforms. The Government has delivered on its commitment to review the outdated and complex alcohol duty system and introduced the biggest reform of alcohol duties for over 140 years. From 1 August 2023, all alcoholic products are now taxed by strength.

Electronic Cigarettes: Excise Duties

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the trade in illicit vapes, in the context of the introduction of duties on vapes at the Spring Budget 2024.

Gareth Davies: Proposals for a Vaping Products Duty which will come in force from October 2026 are set out in the consultation here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/vaping-products-duty-consultation These include measures to tackle non-compliance, including:Declaration and payments via digital channels to minimise fraud and error.The introduction of civil and criminal powers for HMRC to assess for duty, seize products and equipment/vehicles used to produce or transport illicit product.Penalties for those who do not meet their obligations. HMRC will collaborate and share intelligence with agencies such as Border Force and Trading Standards, who will have enhanced their capabilities around vaping by the time the duty is introduced. HMRC also intends to recruit operational staff to enforce the duty, integrating with existing tobacco compliance teams and building on HMRC’s recent success in driving down the tobacco tax gap. This success includes reducing the illicit trade for hand-rolling tobacco from 65.2% in 2005 to 33.5% in 2021/22 and for cigarettes from 16.9% to 11% over the same period.

State Retirement Pensions: Finance

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Financial Statement from 6 March 2024, Official Report, column 851, whether his Department has made an assessment of potential alternative funding mechanisms for the State Pension.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing national insurance contributions on state pension entitlements.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of abolishing National Insurance contributions on (a) calculating and (b) accounting pension entitlements.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of abolishing National Insurance contributions on how qualifying years for pension entitlement would be (a) calculated and (b) accounted.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government believes the double taxation of work is unfair. That is why we’ve cut 4p from employee NICs in the last six months which will mean the average worker receives a tax cut worth £900 this coming year and why we are committed to ending this unfairness.Cutting NICs rates does not affect anyone’s entitlement to the State Pension or contributory benefits.

Taxpayer Protection Taskforce

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fraudulent payments of what total value were recovered by the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce.

Nigel Huddleston: In December 2023, HMRC wrote a letter to the chair of the Committee of Public Accounts with the latest information on HMRC’s compliance activity on the COVID-19 support schemes up to the end of September 2023, when the Taxpayer’s Protection Taskforce transitioned into business-as-usual.

Landfill Tax

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increasing landfill tax on the prevalence of waste crime.

Gareth Davies: At Spring Budget 2024, the government announced that Landfill Tax rates in England and Northern Ireland will be adjusted from 1 April 2025. This will restore their value following a period of high inflation which was not foreseen by the OBR when rates were pre-announced.The government remains committed to tackling waste crime which is a blight on local communities, harms the environment and undermines legitimate businesses operating in the sector.The government agreed with the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation that the current ongoing review of Landfill Tax takes account of incentives to commit waste crime. Alongside this, DEFRA has announced the introduction of digital waste tracking from 2025 and reform of the licensing system, whilst multi-agency enforcement action through the Joint Unit for Waste Crime continues to disrupt criminal activity in the sector.

Ministry of Defence

Air Force: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual cost is of sending pilots abroad to train.

James Heappey: The cost per trainee of contracts with NATO allies are already a matter of public record. The Department is unable to disclose the full value of all contracts, as doing so would prejudice international relations and compromise our friendship with Qatar.

Air Force: Training

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many pilots were in the fast-jet pilot training pipeline as of 5 March 2024.

James Heappey: As at 5 March 2024, there were 119 UK pilots in the fast jet training pipeline, of these 107 were RAF and 12 Royal Navy.

Military Attachés

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2023 to Question 1027 on Military Attachés, if he will publish an updated list of countries without a resident UK Defence Attache.

James Heappey: The Global Defence Network (GDN) utilises Resident and Non-Resident Defence Attachés (DA), who engage in Defence diplomacy in over three-quarters of the world’s nations. The table below has a list of countries covered on a Non-Residential Accreditations (NRA) basis, where a UK DA is not resident in country, but a DA elsewhere has the responsibility. Country (NRA)Location of DAAngolaMozambique - MaputoAnguilla (British overseas territory)Jamaica - KingstonAntigua & BarbudaJamaica - KingstonArmeniaGeorgia – TbilisiAzerbaijanGeorgia – TbilisiBahamasJamaica - KingstonBarbadosJamaica - KingstonBelarusUkraine – KyivBelizeJamaica - KingstonBeninAccra - GhanaBermuda (British overseas territory)USA – Washington DCBotswanaHarare - ZimbabweBritish Virgin Islands (British overseas territory)Jamaica - KingstonBurkina FasoGhana - AccraBurundiUganda – KampalaCambodia(In process of transferring to) Vietnam - HanoiCayman Islands (British overseas territory)Jamaica – KingstonChadCameroon - YaoundéCubaMexico – Mexico CityDjiboutiEthiopia – Addis AbabaDominicaJamaica - KingstonDominican RepublicJamaica - KingstonDemocratic Republic of the CongoKampala - UgandaEritreaSana’a - Yemen (temporarily relocated to Riyadh)EcuadorBogota - ColombiaGrenadaJamaica - KingstonGuineaSierra Leone – FreetownGuyanaJamaica - KingstonGuatemalaMexico – Mexico CityGuinea-BissauSenegal - DakarHaitiJamaica - KingstonHungaryCroatia - ZagrebIcelandNorway - OsloIvory CoastGhana – AccraKhartoumEgypt - CairoKosovoMacedonia - SkopjeKyrgyzstanKazakhstan – AstanaLaos(in process of transferring to) Vietnam - HanoiLesothoSouth Africa - PretoriaLiberiaSierra Leone - FreetownLuxembourgBelgium - BrusselsMalawiZimbabwe – HarareMaliSenegal - DakarMaltaRome - ItalyMauritaniaMorocco – RabatMonacoFrance – ParisMongoliaJapan – TokyoMyanmarThailand - BangkokMontserrat (British overseas territory)Jamaica - KingstonNamibiaSouth Africa – PretoriaNigerCameroon – YaoundéPapua New GuineaAustralia – CanberraParaguayArgentina – Buenos AiresPeruColombia - BogotaRwandaUganda – KampalaSeychellesKenya - NairobiSt Kitts & NevisJamaica - KingstonSt LuciaJamaica - KingstonSt VincentJamaica - KingstonSlovakiaCzech Rep - PragueSloveniaAustria – ViennaSouth SudanAddis Ababa – EthiopiaSwitzerlandVienna - AustriaSyriaLebanon - BeirutTajikistanKazakhstan – AstanaTanzaniaKenya – NairobiThe GambiaSenegal - DakarTimor-Leste (East Timor)Indonesia - JakartaTogoGhana – AccraTongaFiji – SuvaTrinidad & TobagoJamaica - KingstonTurkmenistanUzbekistan - TashkentTurks & Caicos Islands (British overseas territory)Jamaica - KingstonUruguayArgentina - Buenos AiresVanuatuFiji – SuvaVenezuelaBogota - ColombiaZambiaZimbabwe - HarareSupported by MOD from in the UK Cape Verdi Islands Congo Gabon Panama Puerto Rica

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary on the potential impact of trends in the level of pay on (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) training.

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the (a) level of seafarers pay and (b) number of seafarers on the (i) capacity and (ii) functions of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Navy Command is introducing a number of recruitment and retention initiatives. An independent benchmarking survey has been engaged to ensure levels of pay, leave and assignment length are competitive with industry to ensure the RFA remains at the leading edge of UK shipping operators and employers.

Military Aircraft: Costs

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of operating VIP-configured RAF aircraft was in each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: The operating costs of Voyager ZZ336 in its secondary role of VIP use are not separately recorded within the wider 27-Year AirTanker contract for the Voyager fleet's primary role of Air-to-Air Refuelling and military Air Transport. It is also not possible to separate the operating costs of the two VIP-configured BAe146 which operated between 2019 and early 2022 from the overall operating cost of the wider military configured BAe146 fleet that operated alongside them. The AW109SP is operated under the multi-year Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport contract. The follow-on to this contract is currently being competed with a closing date for bids in mid-March. Until the competition for the Future Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport Helicopter Service is concluded it would prejudice commercial interests to publish the costs of the contract since 2019. The Envoy IV CC Mk1 is operated under the multi-year Command Support Air Transport Recapitalisation contract valued at £67,031,000 to £80,000,000 starting from March 2022.

Fleet Solid Support Ships

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support the use of UK steel in the building of the fleet solid support ships.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) and the right hon. Member for North Durham (Kevan Jones) on 22 November 2022 to Questions 88822, 88826, 88828 and 89759. Fleet Solid Support Ships: Iron and Steel (docx, 14.8KB)Fleet Solid Support Ships: Iron and Steel (docx, 14.8KB)

AWACS: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned date is for the first flight of the Royal Air Force’s first E-7 Wedgetail aircraft.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's planned timescale is for agreeing the full business case for the E-7 Wedgetail programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the delivery date for the first E-7 Wedgetail aircraft is as of 11 March 2024.

James Cartlidge: The Wedgetail Full Business Case is planned for submission in March 2024, and an approval is expected from the Ministry of Defence in late 2024. The Wedgetail aircraft will commence flying for early stages of testing in 2024, with delivery into service with the RAF in autumn 2025.

Ministry of Defence: Contracts

Sarah Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the adequacy of the delivery of contracts by external providers.

James Cartlidge: The proactive monitoring, control and management of external providers is undertaken throughout the lifecycle of Defence contracts primarily by the Department’s Commercial and Project Management officials. Furthermore, the Ministry of Defence’s Strategic Partnering Programme has built long-term relationships and has increased collaboration with many of our largest suppliers to work together to address any major performance issues.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the (a) Royal Navy, (b) British Army and (c) Royal Air Force spent on recruitment in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the right hon. Member’s Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Veterans: Identity Cards

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13679 on Veterans: Identity Cards, if he will take steps with (a) private and (b) third sector organisations to accelerate the roll-out of veterans’ ID cards.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card Scheme has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of their Service Leaver Pack. Phase 2 extends access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card. The current delivery contract allows for the production of 50,000 Phase 2 pre-2018 veteran cards per month and are issued within an average of 14 calendar days from date of application receipt. As of 7 March 2024, in the six weeks since launch, there have been a total of 83,730 Phase 2 applications received, and 67,335 cards issued. Demand is determined by the number of veterans who choose to apply and not the overall number of veterans in the UK. Extensive communications have been issued by both MOD and Office for Veterans' Affairs in relation to the application service.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Conferences: Costs

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what the average cost was to host an international summit in the last five years.

David Rutley: The requested information is not centrally held and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department.

Kurds: Politics and Government

Wayne David: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruling of February 2024 on the removal of 11 quota seats for ethnic and religious minorities within the Kurdistan Region Parliament.

David Rutley: Promotion of the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) is a longstanding priority for the UK. We frequently raise ethnic and religious minorities with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government, calling for greater protection and deeper inclusion in national and local government.Although we welcome the announcement that Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) elections will be held on 10 June, we continue to assess the implications of the rulings by the Federal Supreme Court to remove 11 quota seats for ethnic and religious minorities.

Conferences: Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what the cost to the public purse was of each international summit held in the UK since 2019.

David Rutley: The requested information is not centrally held, and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department. The budget for international summits are often held by different departments and therefore FCDO would not necessarily hold or record the complete costs for all summits.

Bahrain: Gulf Strategy Fund

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5692 on Bahrain: Gulf Strategy Fund, when he plans to publish a list of (a) projects delivered by HM Embassy Bahrain and (b) Gulf Strategy Fund Projects in the 2023-2024 financial year.

David Rutley: The full list of projects delivered by the British Embassy in Bahrain is being finalised, but details will be published as usual in the spring on Gov.uk.

Bahrain: Demonstrations

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2024 to Question 15479 on Bahrain: Demonstrations, whether he has made representations to his Bahraini counterpart on (a) the detention of Sayed Hashim and (b) allegations of his abuse by the Bahraini authorities during his arrest.

David Rutley: Lord Ahmad has not made representations as Minister of State for the Middle East on this matter but as the answer to Question 15479 made clear, the FCDO are aware of the detention of Sayed Hashim, and we continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet all of its human rights commitments. We also encourage those with specific concerns to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini oversight body.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Offenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many civil servants in his Department have a criminal conviction.

David Rutley: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department and complying with this request would incur a disproportionate cost to the department. The Department undertakes Baseline Personnel Security Standard pre-employment checks for all new joiners. The FCDO's approach to employ those with a criminal record is assessed at national security level and all decisions are made in line with Cabinet Office's Security Vetting Guidance.

Ghana: Foreign Relations and Human Rights

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Ghanaian counterpart on the potential impact of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill on (a) human rights and (b) UK-Ghana relations.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill on human rights within the Commonwealth.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support (a) civil society and (b) human rights groups in Ghana in the context of the introduction of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the introduction of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill in the Ghanaian legislatures.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is disappointed that Ghana's Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. If enacted, it would further criminalise consensual same-sex relationships and undermine the human rights and freedoms of those perceived as being a member of, or an ally to, the LGBT+ community. The UK routinely encourages Ghana to confirm its opposition to all forms of discrimination and uphold the human rights provisions enshrined in Ghana's Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the principles of both the African and Commonwealth Charters. The Foreign Secretary, Ministers and senior officials have expressed these concerns, including during my [Minister Andrew Mitchell] visit to Ghana in February 2024 and my meeting with the Ghanaian High Commissioner to the UK in March. We continue to consider our response in the event that the Bill is granted assent.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an estimate of the daily capacity for humanitarian deliveries through the (a) Al-Tina and (b) Renk crossings into Sudan; and if he will take steps with his international counterparts to monitor the number of daily humanitarian deliveries through these crossings.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are unable to estimate the daily capacity for humanitarian deliveries through these routes. The UK strongly condemns the decision on 21 February by the Sudanese Armed Forces to withdraw permission for cross-border deliveries of humanitarian aid from Adré in Chad. We note the SAF's commitments on 5 March to facilitate crossline and other cross-border routes, such as these, for the delivery of life-saving assistance to Darfur and the Kordofans. As penholder on Sudan, the UK has proposed a UN Security Council resolution, calling for an immediate ceasefire before the holy month of Ramadan and urging all parties to allow for unhindered cross-border and cross-line humanitarian access. We continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the warring parties to allow safe humanitarian access.

Senegal: Elections

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to support (a) international and (b) civil society observation of the Presidential election in Senegal.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We are coordinating closely with international partners on observing the forthcoming Presidential elections, including by sending our own diplomatic staff as observers to polling stations across the country. We are also engaging with a range of civil society organisations to support their efforts to ensure the Presidential elections run fairly and transparently.

Chevening Scholarships Programme

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what estimate he has made of the gender split in each cohort of Chevening Scholars for each year since 2019.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The gender split of Chevening scholars from 2019 to present is as follows:Date% Female% MaleNon-binaryPrefer not to sayPrefer to self-identifyNULL (blank)2019/2055.20%44.39%0.00%0.40%0.00%0.00%2020/2158.45%40.38%0.00%0.29%0.29%0.58%2021/2259.02%40.12%0.37%0.18%0.31%0.00%2022/2360.74%38.40%0.36%0.21%0.29%0.00%2023/2455.48%43.19%0.88%0.29%0.07%0.07%We are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion amongst awardees and ensure applicants of all genders, sexualities, races and religions feel confident in applying for Chevening.

Bilateral Aid: Equality

Chris Law: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled International women and girls strategy 2023 to 2030, published on 8 March 2023, when he will publish a timeline of how he plans to meet the commitment that at least 80% of his Department’s bilateral aid programmes will have a focus on gender equality by 2030.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The International Women and Girls Strategy was published in March 2023 and we have committed to publishing a biennial progress report. The commitment that at least 80 per cent of FCDO's bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes will have a focus on gender equality by 2030 reflects how we are prioritising gender equality in our work and investment moving forward. The most recent official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2022. This data indicates that in 2022, 58 per cent of FDO bilateral ODA programmes had a focus on gender equality (using OECD DAC markers Significant and Principal).

Diplomatic Service

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2024 to Question 16041 on Diplomatic Service, whether his Department has had a policy of instructing British diplomats not to engage with Official Opposition hon. Members since 2010.

David Rutley: There is no policy preventing engagement between British diplomats and UK parliamentarians. While posts must prioritise resources for the delivery of HMG business, if a parliamentarian makes a request for support this will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The overseas network aims to provide appropriate support for parliamentarians, including a high-level of support for select committees travelling overseas. As per my previous answer (16041), all engagement with Parliamentarians must adhere to the principle of political impartiality and follow the correct clearance processes as outlined in the Civil Service code and Directory of civil service guidance.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for consulting on activity regulations to be introduced under the Animals (Low-Welfare Abroad) Act 2023.

Mark Spencer: Future decisions on which animal activities will fall in scope of the legislation will need to be evidence-based and subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. This Government continues to make animal welfare a priority and we are currently exploring a number of options to ensure progress as soon as is practicable. Additionally, we are supporting several Private Members’ Bills to deliver on animal welfare measures in the Kept Animals Bill, and I will be in the chamber tomorrow to listen to the proposals put forward by my Right Honourable Friend the member for North Devon.

Environmental Land Management Schemes

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish an impact assessment of the structure of payments within the Environmental Land Management schemes.

Mark Spencer: This Government will always back British farmers which is why in January we increased the payment rates across our Environmental Land Management schemes by 10% on average and will open an expanded offer this July. We have made almost 13,000 Sustainable Farming Incentive agreement offers to farmers. As part of this offer, we are constantly assessing the impact of outside events while making sure all farm types can access funding and support that works for them.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will outlaw the use of farrowing crates.

Mark Spencer: The UK already has a significant outdoor pig sector with 40% of the national sow breeding herd farrowing freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement. We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards of animal welfare. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems. We want our farming sectors to continue to be viable and competitive. There are several economic challenges currently being faced by the pig sector, not least costs of feed and energy, which is why we have made the decision that the time is not right to consult on phasing out farrowing crates.

Flood Control: Standards

Tom Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the improvement of flood defences.

Robbie Moore: In March 2020, the Government doubled its investment in new flood defences to a record £5.2 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. Additionally, over £200 million per year is invested in maintenance, ensuring flood defences are kept in good working order. In Gedling, final environmental work is underway on the Nottingham Trent Left Bank flood defence scheme, which has better protected 15,000 properties since 2012.

Fisheries

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the sustainability of the fisheries sector.

Mark Spencer: We are supporting the long-term future of the UK’s fishing fleet, by developing Fisheries Management Plans, and investing through the £100 million UK Seafood Fund – including £3 million for the Scottish Seafood Centre of Excellence in Fraserburgh. Scotland will also benefit from an increase in fishing opportunities this year compared to 2023, as Scottish fisheries continue to see the benefits of our post-Brexit deal for fishing.

Department for Work and Pensions

Members: Correspondence

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 26 January 2024 from the Rt hon. Member for East Ham, reference ST105404.

Paul Maynard: I can confirm that a full response was issued to the MP’s parliamentary email address as a PDF attachment on 15 February 2024 from our complaint’s resolution team (CMPT12024-07318 (ST105404) I have checked the email address used and it is correct.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what reduction in fraud and error in the benefit system he expects by the end of 2024.

Paul Maynard: DWP measures fraud and error in the welfare system via annual national statistics published each May. The Department has a target to save at least £1.3 billion in 2023-24 from its dedicated counter fraud and error resource. Further information on this is included in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) Report, available on GOV.UK. The ARA report for financial year 23/24 is expected to be published Summer 2024.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the (a) Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service, (b) Enhanced Checking Service, (c) Risk Review Team, (d) Enhanced Review Teams, (e) Universal Credit advances claims decision risk model, (f) Common Risk Engine, (g) General Matching Service, (h) Fraud Referral and Intervention Management System (i) Targeted Case Review and (j) any other systems have been used as part of fraud surveillance in the benefits system in the last year.

Paul Maynard: None of the teams or systems referenced carry out surveillance in the benefits system.

Social Security Benefits

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants referred by a DWP algorithm for case review as potentially containing fraud or error were (a) in receipt of disability benefit and (b) registered as disabled; and of these claims how many experienced benefits (i) stoppages and (ii) suspensions in the latest period for which data is available.

Paul Maynard: The department does not hold the information requested.

Sickness Benefits: Wolverhampton

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Wolverhampton South East constituency are on long-term sickness benefits; and how many were on such benefits in each of the past five years.

Mims Davies: People on ‘long-term sickness benefits’ have been assumed as those in the main phase of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and the Universal Credit (UC) Limited Capability to Work (LCW) and Limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) groups. The Department regularly publishes Benefit Combination statistics on Stat-Xplore and these were extended inFebruary 2024 to include additional information for those on ESA and the UC Health Journey, so can now be used to provide the information, from quarter ending May 2019 to the end of the latest quarter, August 2023. The figures can be obtained from the ‘Benefit Combinations - Data from May 2019 for England and Wales’ dataset using the ‘Additional Claim Details’ options. The ‘ESA Phase of Claim’ and ‘UC Health Journey’ options should be used to identify quarterly totals for ESA Support Group (SG), ESA Work-related Activity Group (WRAG), Universal Credit Limited Capability to Work (LCW) and Limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) groups, and those on one benefit but not the other using the ‘Not On’ options. The ‘Geography’ option can then be used to filter by the relevant Westminster Parliamentary Constituency. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. Using the Benefit Combinations data on Stat-Xplore, the number of people on long-term sickness benefits in the Wolverhampton South East constituency is provided in the table below:  Aug 2019Aug 2020Aug 2021Aug 2022Aug 2023Total4,1504,4404,6905,0805,830 Source: Stat-XploreNotes:Totals are rounded to 10.UC Data is not available prior to 2019 as some UC claims were recorded on an interim operational system called UC Live Service (UCLS). Figures for UCLS Health claimants are not currently collated and to develop that information would incur disproportionate cost.A person can claim both ESA and be on the UC health caseload and these claimants would be counted in each separate caseload in the published data on Stat-Xplore. Benefit Combinations data on Stat-Xplore allows these 'Dual claims' to be identified and only counted once in the above.

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to the Access to Work scheme were rejected in each month from January 2023 to February 2024.

Mims Davies: The table below shows how many applications the Access to Work scheme rejected from January 2023 to February 2024. MonthCases Not ApprovedJan-233357Feb-232952Mar-233819Apr-232492May-233029Jun-233709Jul-233705Aug-233695Sep-233392Oct-233566Nov-233268Dec-232642Jan-243435Feb-243068 Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time taken to process an Access to Work application was in each month since January 2022.

Mims Davies: The table below shows the average length of time taken to process an Access to Work application in each month since January 20022. MonthMean Working days to process applicationJan-2237Feb-2240Mar-2238Apr-2238May-2249Jun-2256Jul-2260Aug-2258Sep-2261Oct-2263Nov-2262Dec-2262Jan-2361Feb-2358Mar-2363Apr-2356May-2350Jun-2341Jul-2347Aug-2347Sep-2345Oct-2345Nov-2342Dec-2342Jan-2442Feb-2441   Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Department for Work and Pensions: Forms

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the forms it issues are accessible to people with limited ability to complete a form by hand.

Mims Davies: The department’s forms are designed to be accessible for people who use assistive technology. Our online PDFs are compliant with Work Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 accessible standards. Claim form design and standards are regularly tested to ensure they continue to meet user needs.DWP seeks to identify individuals who require additional support to enable them to access our services, providing a tailored service and ensuring appropriate support is quickly made available. Jobcentre Plus provides access to services for claimants who need face-to-face support. Help to Claim is a service delivered independently by Citizens Advice and in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland, for those who are claiming Universal Credit. DWP Visiting supports those who are unable to complete requirements through any of the other channels.

Artificial Intelligence

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential for bias in the automated machine learning and decision-making systems used to audit.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Q27 of the oral evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee on 10 January 2024, HC 417, what biases there are in the (a) AI and (b) machine learning systems used by his Department to detect and prevent fraud in the benefit system; and how these biases have been used to identify fraud.

Paul Maynard: Please be assured that assessments of bias have been conducted for all IRIS machine learning models and the screening to date has not identified any areas of concern. The outcomes will be published in summer 2024 within DWP’s Annual Report and Accounts. The department always ensures appropriate safeguards are in place. There are detailed Data Protection Impact Assessments and Equality Analysis that accompany our machine learning models, and these are live documents that are kept updated. We also work closely with legal colleagues to ensure our use of machine learning is legal and proportionate. As an additional safeguard, all decisions on claims are made by DWP case workers based on all the facts and individual circumstances of the claim.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

General Elections

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of holding the general election in May 2024 on (a) local elections and (b) voter (i) engagement and (ii) turnout.

Simon Hoare: I refer the Hon member to the answer given to Question UIN 14293 on 26 February 2024.

Tourism

Dame Karen Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to publish a national policy statement on visitor attractions.

Lee Rowley: The Government has committed to updating a number of National Policy Statements which will support the Government’s long-term ambitions to improve infrastructure, productivity and energy generation across the country.Whilst we do not have current plans to introduce a National Policy Statement for visitor attractions, we would be happy to receive further representations on this issue.Certain business and commercial projects, which could include projects relating to leisure and tourism, can, on request, be directed into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects consenting regime, provided the Secretary of State is satisfied that such projects are ones of national significance.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Defamation

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in his Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

Simon Hoare: I refer the Hon Member to paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code which states: “The fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority”.

Leasehold

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department has issued on the minimum (a) number and (b) proportion of leasehold flats that a freeholder must own in a building in order to render all other leaseholders of the building ineligible for leaseholder protections under Section 117(3)(c) of the Building Safety Act 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulations to specify the minimum number of leasehold flats that a freeholder must own in a building in order to render all other leaseholders of the building ineligible for leaseholder protections under Section 117(3)(c) of the Building Safety Act 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether an effective date applies to the definition of a relevant building in relation to the leaseholder protections under the Building Safety Act 2022.

Lee Rowley: Current leaseholder protection guidance published 21 July 2022 on gov.uk sets out that leaseholder-owned buildings includes:(a) collectively enfranchised buildings – where some, or all, of the qualifying leaseholders have bought the building’s freehold;(b) any building where leaseholders directly own the freehold, including through a company, where there is no separate freeholder; and,(c) other circumstances where the freehold is owned 100% by one or more leaseholders.The effective date in relation to the leaseholder protections under the Building Safety Act 2022 is 14 February 2022.

Department for Transport

Shipping: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government response to the Fifth Report of the Transport Committee of Session 2022–23 on Maritime 2050: objectives, implementation and effects, published on 24 May 2023, what his planned timetable is for the Maritime Council to produce its report nine-point plan for seafarers’ protections.

Guy Opperman: A report into the outcome of the plan would need a period of time to pass to allow for a full assessment. The Department would expect it to be incorporated into the annual report that will be published by the new Maritime Council, which is still in its first year.

Driving Tests: Waiting Lists

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2024 to Question 16465 on Driving Tests: Waiting Lists, what the average waiting time was for a driving test from DVSA in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) each region and (d) each driving centre in March 2022.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2024 to Question 16465 on Driving Tests: Waiting Lists, what the average waiting time was for a driving test from DVSA in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) each region and (d) each driving centre in March 2023.

Guy Opperman: The attached spreadsheet PQ 17731 shows the average waiting time in March 2023 for a car practical driving test, broken down by:Great BritainEnglandeach region/zoneeach driving centreThe attached spreadsheet PQ 17730 shows the average waiting time in March 2022 for a car practical driving test, broken down by:Great BritainEnglandeach region/zoneeach driving centre17730 Average waiting times (xlsx, 15.1KB)17731 Average waiting times (xlsx, 15.1KB)

Shipping: Conditions of Employment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government response to the Fifth Report of the Transport Committee of Session 2022–23 on Maritime 2050: objectives, implementation and effects, published on 24 May 2023, what progress he has made on negotiations with the Spanish Government on practices concerning conditions for seafarers on board third country flagged ships operating regular shipping routes between ports in Spain and the UK.

Guy Opperman: On 7 July 2023, the UK and Spain signed a Memorandum of Understanding on conditions for seafarers aboard third-country flagged vessels in which we agreed to examine how we could cooperate and consider the impact of existing and new measures.

Ferries: Republic of Ireland

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Irish Sea ferry services operators have signed the Seafarers Charter; and what progress his Department has made on reaching a bilateral agreement with the Irish Government on seafarer welfare standards on ferry services operating between the UK and Ireland.

Guy Opperman: Stena Line has committed to the Seafarers’ Charter. My Department has regular discussions with the Irish Government about co-operation on seafarer welfare.

Bypasses: Middlewich

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to make a decision on the allocation of grant funding for the Middlewich Eastern Bypass programme.

Guy Opperman: This is being considered and a decision will be issued shortly.

Midland Main Line: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on the (a) planning and (b) programming for the electrification of the Midland Main Line to Nottingham.

Huw Merriman: Work is already underway to electrify the Midland Main Line (MML) with progress being made to install overhead line equipment between Kettering and Wigston, as well as upgrades south of Bedford to be completed in 2025. During 2024 Network Rail are continuing currently funded design and pre-construction between Wigston Junction north towards Trent Junction, a further 28.4 miles (45.7 route kilometres) of electrification on the MML. Recent plans from Network Rail indicate that electrification of the Midlands Main Line route to Sheffield and Nottingham could be completed in the early 2030s.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Domestic Visits

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, to which domestic destinations Ministers in her Department and its predecessor Departments have attended overnight visits in each of the last three financial years.

Julia Lopez: I refer the Hon. Member to my response to UIN 17516, on the 12th March 2024.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Defamation

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions have Ministers in her department informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

Julia Lopez: DCMS has no record of the information requested.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Appointments

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public appointments she has made since her appointment.

Julia Lopez: From 7 February 2023 to 12 March 2024 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced 53 new regulated appointments and 48 regulated reappointments; of these 41 new appointments and 32 reappointments were made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport as appointing authority.

Media: Euthanasia and Suicide

Danny Kruger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps with Ofcom to undertake a review of the adequacy of guidance to the media on the reporting of (a) assisted suicide, (b) euthanasia and (c) other suicide cases.

Julia Lopez: Guidance on how broadcasters report assisted suicide, euthanasia and other suicide cases is a matter for Ofcom as the UK’s independent broadcasting regulator. Ofcom are required by law to keep the Broadcasting Code and any accompanying guidance under review.In the UK, there is an independent self-regulatory regime for the press. The Government does not intervene in what the press can and cannot publish or oversee the work of press regulators.

Sports: Facilities

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her letter to the hon. Member for Warrington North dated 5 March 2024, reference INT2024/01623/DC, what funding her Department has invested in grassroots sport facilities in each parliamentary constituency since 2021.

Stuart Andrew: We are committed to ensuring that every child, no matter their background or ability, has the opportunity to play sport and be active.Between 2021 and 2025, the UK Government is delivering a historic level of direct investment of over £400 million to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK.This includes £327 million across the whole of the UK between 2021 and 2025, including £25 million for the Lionesses Futures Fund. All projects are publicly available and can be found by financial year here.We are also investing £21.9 million to renovate over 3,000 tennis courts across Scotland, England and Wales between 2022 and 2024. Completed projects are publicly available to see here.In England, we have provided £60 million via the Swimming Pool Support Fund in 2023/24 to support public swimming pool providers with immediate cost pressures, and investment to make facilities sustainable in the longer-term. Phase one projects can be viewed here, with phase two projects to be announced in due course.The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport also wrote to all MPs in early March, detailing the amount of funding and the different projects supported by the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, the Park Tennis Court Renovation Programme, and the Swimming Pool Support Fund, in their constituency.

Gambling: Advertising

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of gambling advertising on (a) gambling-related harms and (b) levels of (i) at-risk and (ii) problem gambling in young people.

Stuart Andrew: In our approach to gambling advertising, we have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach which tackles aggressive advertising that is most likely to appeal to children, while recognising that advertising is an entirely legitimate commercial practice for responsible gambling firms.In April last year, HM Government published a White Paper on gambling which outlined a comprehensive package of reforms to make gambling safer following an exhaustive assessment of the evidence, including on gambling advertising. We concluded that further action on advertising was needed, which is why we and the Gambling Commission are introducing measures to tackle the most aggressive and harmful advertising practices by preventing bonuses being constructed and targeted in harmful ways, giving customers more control over the marketing they receive, and introducing messaging about the risks associated with gambling.This supplements the already robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising is socially responsible and that it cannot be targeted at or strongly appeal to children. This includes specific licence conditions for operators, including the requirement to abide by the UK Advertising Codes, which further regulate how gambling operators advertise. The UK Advertising Codes were strengthened in 2022, with new protections for children and vulnerable adults.

Mermaids: Finance

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department provided funding to the charity Mermaids UK in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Stuart Andrew: DCMS has provided no funding to the charity Mermaids UK in 2021, 2022, or 2023.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Defamation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether it is the Department's policy to pay (a) legal costs and (b) damages in relation to allegedly defamatory comments made by Ministers.

Andrew Griffith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 17407.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Defamation

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in her Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 7 February 2023.

Andrew Griffith: As has been the practice under successive Governments, it is not the convention to comment on where the Law Officers have, or have not been, informed or advised on such legal matters. This is reflected in paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code.

National Security Online Information Team

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the (a) role and (b) annual cost is of the Counter Disinformation Unit.

Saqib Bhatti: In October 2023 the Counter Disinformation Unit became the National Security and Online Information Team (NSOIT). The name more accurately reflects the team’s revised remit and function, which is to tackle the greatest national security risks facing the UK from mis and disinformation, specifically looking at threats posed by foreign states, risks to elections and from the use of AI and deepfakes. This revised remit is kept under regular review. It would not be appropriate to publicly comment on NSOIT’s funding levels, as doing so would give malign actors insight into the scale of the Government’s capabilities in this area. Nevertheless, DSIT continues to account to parliament for the use of public funds in relation to the NSOIT and other teams within the department.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Domestic Visits

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Attorney General, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Robert Courts: I refer the Hon Member to my response to UIN 17533 tabled on Wednesday 13 March 2024.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Alternative Fuel Payments: Telephone Services

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many calls were made to the contact centre helpline on 0808 175 3943 on appeals relating to Alternative Fuel Payment applications in 2023.

Amanda Solloway: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Renewable Energy: Community Development

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to launch a consultation on the growth of community-run renewable energy schemes.

Graham Stuart: We have been codesigning the consultation on the community energy sector via the Community Energy Contact Group (CECG). We intend to publish the consultation as soon as possible.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the potential additional costs for offshoring the required new grid capacity between north east (a) Scotland and (b) England.

Graham Stuart: Electricity network planning is a function of the independent Electricity System Operator (ESO). Through the Holistic Network Design (HND), the transitional Centralised Strategic Network Plan and in the future through the Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP), the ESO considers the best approach to coordinate transmission infrastructure to balance community impact, environmental impact, cost and deliverability and reduce the amount of planned infrastructure. Additional costs will vary depending on the specific infrastructure considered, however subsea cabling is several times more expensive than overhead lines, due in part to lower capacity of offshore circuits (2GW in comparison to 6GW for onshore alternatives).

Electricity Generation: Renewable Energy

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will instruct Ofgem to publish an estimate of the impact of the cost of future transmission charges for renewable companies in more expensive Transmission Network Use of System Charges zones on the agreed strike price for the fifth Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round.

Andrew Bowie: The Government acknowledges the uncertainty that renewable developers face in pricing in the cost of future transmission charges (TNUoS), and that this presents particular challenges for transmission-connected projects in more expensive TNUoS zones. Whilst network charges are a matter for Ofgem, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has overall responsibility for Contracts for Difference allocation rounds. The Department continues to assess implications of charging arrangements on CfD generators and will continue to engage with Ofgem to mitigate the impacts where possible and appropriate.

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many applications under the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme there have been for an adult dependent pension under Rule 29 (1) (bb) where the dependant was financially partly-dependent on the BCSSS scheme member; and how many of those applications have been granted since the Scheme's inception in 1994.

Graham Stuart: Fourteen applications for an Adult Dependent Pension under Rule 29(1)(bb) have been considered by either the Trustees or the Scheme Secretary of which ten were awarded and four were rejected.

Energy: Overseas Companies

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which overseas energy companies registered in the UK have received funding from her (a) Department and (b) predecessor Department in each year since 2015.

Andrew Bowie: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Domestic Visits

Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to which domestic destinations Ministers in her Department and its predecessor Department have attended overnight visits in each of the last three financial years.

Graham Stuart: The Government publishes on GOV.UK details of the cost of overseas Ministerial trips, including costs of travel and other costs (visas, accommodation, and meals). But as has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular detail on Ministers’ travel at home or abroad.

Sheffield Forgemasters: Welding

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Sheffield Forgemasters on local electron-beam welding.

Andrew Bowie: The electron beam welding facility recently commissioned and announced by Sheffield Forgemaster’s was partly funded by Government as part of the Energy Innovation Programme. As such, officials have had recent engagement with Forgemasters to discuss updates on the progress of their projects in this area.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Staff

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people were serving in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary on 20 February in each year since 2015.

Andrew Bowie: Financial YearTotal Combined Staff/Officer Headcount as at Feb (17257)2014/1515332015/1615862016/1716232017/1815892018/1915982019/2015452020/2116382021/2216202022/2316022023/241624

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Labour Turnover

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many (a) officers and (b) other staff left the Civil Nuclear Constabulary in each year since 2015; and what the leaving rate was in each of those years.

Andrew Bowie: YearCombined Staff/Officer Headcount as at Feb (17257)Total Leavers in FY Officers (17258a)% Leavers in FY Officers (17258a)Total Leavers in FY  Staff (17258b)% Leavers in FY  Staff (17258b)% Leavers in FY  Combined Officers and Staff (17258)2014/151533866.7%3815.3%8.1%2015/161586796.0%269.6%6.6%2016/1716231128.6%4313.1%9.6%2017/18158914911.5%279.2%11.1%2018/1915981098.4%289.5%8.6%2019/20154518814.9%4515.7%15.1%2020/211638997.5%257.8%7.6%2021/221620907.0%247.3%7.0%2022/2316021169.1%3510.8%9.4%2023/24162413210.3%3710.6%10.4%

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Counter-terrorism

Dame Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many times a member of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary was referred to Prevent in each year since 2018.

Andrew Bowie: There were no referrals.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of the maximum capacity of offshore wind that could be funded through the Contracts for Difference allocation round six.

Andrew Bowie: Contracts for Difference auctions have successfully used competition to procure 30GW of new renewable capacity across all technologies, including around 20GW of offshore wind, since their introduction, while driving costs down for consumers. In any round, the volume of capacity that is successful for each technology, including offshore wind, depends on a range of factors including the volume of eligible applications, and the prices that applicants bid at. We cannot pre-judge the outcome of allocation round six.

Renewable Energy: Manufacturing Industries

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding has been allocated to the Green Industries Growth Accelerator fund to date; and how much and what proportion of the expenditure for by the Green Industries Growth Accelerator fund has been spent in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much has been provided to each project that received funding through the Green Industries Growth Accelerator.

Andrew Bowie: The Government has committed £1.1bn for the Green Industries Growth Accelerator (GIGA) to support the expansion of domestic green manufacturing capacity and strengthen clean energy supply chains across the UK. No funding has been awarded to projects yet.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Domestic Visits

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Chris Heaton-Harris: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 17536 on 13 March 2024.

Operation Kenova

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the cost is of Operation Kenova.

Mr Steve Baker: Operation Kenova is an independent investigation commissioned by the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The PSNI is therefore best placed to provide an accurate estimate of its cost.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Domestic Visits

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

David T C Davies: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 17534 on 13 March 2024.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Domestic Visits

Dame Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the destinations were of domestic overnight visits undertaken by Ministers within their Department in each of the last three financial years.

Mr Alister Jack: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to UIN 17535 on 13 March 2024.